When we were baptized, we were all made kings, prophets and priests like Jesus who is the supreme king, prophet and priest. In our soul, a mark has been put - a mark that cannot be written off or scratched off - we are, you - my brothers and sisters are all kings, prophets and priests.

Last week, we talked about being first in the kingdom of God. We said, and the gospel said, that if you want to be FIRST, you must be the LAST - if you want to be the GREATEST, you must be the SERVANT of ALL. This dear brothers and sisters is what being the KING means. Christ the King has given us the example - He is KING and yet He is the one, who served, remember the washing of the feet at the last supper where Jesus, the King, washed the feet of the apostles. Again, to be the greatest in the kingdom of God means to be a SERVANT.

Today, we will reflect on the second mark of Christian baptism - being a prophet. The first reading has given us the tone of this reflection. Moses said, "would that all the Lord's people are prophets?" Moses was asking Joshua who questioned him about the two men, Eldad and Medad who prophesy. The two men do not belong to their fold. All God's people are prophets. By baptism we entered the covenant of God with His people, by the water of baptism we become part of this people of God, therefore entered a covenant with God.

A prophet is someone who speaks in behalf of God, in other words, a prophet is God's mouthpiece. A prophet is God's voice. You may think of the Old Testament prophets like Joshua, Job, Jonah, Daniel and in the new testament we can consider the apostles pierced with the power of the Holy Spirit as prophets of the resurrection. A prophet. God's voice. To be a prophet today is to LOVE - to love God, to love the Church, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. A prophet delivers the message for God. A prophet is God's instrument. A prophet heeds the Will of God. How does God want you to live your being a prophet??? Where does God lead you???

In the gospel today, Jesus, knew all along that His disciples do not grasp yet the fullness of discipleship - of being His followers. They argue over recognitions, they compete for positions, they fight for titles. Jesus knew well that they haven't taken to heart that to be His disciples mean they have to forget about themselves and start thinking about others. The disciples want to be the first and none of them grasped the meaning of being first in the kingdom of God. Jesus gave them the ultimate meaning of being placed number one in God's kingdom - YOU have to be the LAST. How ironic, we might say, the FIRST should be the LAST. We all know very well that the WORLD teaches us the opposite - YOU must always be the FIRST. The world, especially the media is teaching us exactly the opposite of Christ's teaching on discipleship - YOUR SELF FIRST BEFORE OTHERS. In this EGOISTIC, SELF-CENTERED world, it is DIFFICULT to be a TRUE DISCIPLE of CHRIST. It takes HUMILITY in order to embrace the true call to Christian discipleship.

"If you want to be the greatest, you must be the servant of all." How many of us here would take the challenge of becoming the greatest in God's kingdom by becoming a servant first? In our parish community, in this little faith community, we are always confronted with the challenge of living the true meaning of Christian discipleship. Do you want to be first? Be the last. In our effort to build this parish around love, we are all called to serve one another. If we do so, we become a blessing to one another.

We have been sharing the essence of listening to the Word of God. We began with reflecting on LISTENING, then we moved on to reflecting the words of Jesus - "Eph'phata - Be Opened." Today, my dear friends, we are confronted with one of the most important questions that Jesus asked: "Who do you say I am?" It has been said by the wise men and women of the past that the most important journey that we should make is the inner journey towards the center of our selves where we will truly know who we are.

Without any doubt, when Jesus asked the question, He wants a straight answer from the people who say they LOVE Him. Peter answered the question for us ... Jesus looked Him in the eye - "You are the Christ," was Peter's words.

When Peter made the revelation that Jesus is the Christ, he knows that his revelation comes with great responsibility of living his faith in Christ. Our knowledge of Jesus has an accompanying mission to live our faith all the way whatever it costs us. Faith plus good work is what believing on Jesus is all about. Here at Saint Mark, we hope to nurture that faith we share with one another. We hope to become like Peter, ready to stand up and profess our knowledge of Christ no matter what.

When you will be asked again by Jesus, "Who do you say I am?" Go into your heart and search for the answer. It is there. You just have to look deeper. Amen.

Last Sunday, we reflected on the theme of LISTENING to the WORD of GOD. We said that there is that stages in Christian growth that all undergo - from hearing, to listening and eventually to doing. Our ultimate goal, definitely, is to become DOERS of the Word of God.

Listening is such a laborious task. It is easier to HEAR than to LISTEN. In listening, you put your heart at work. You do not listen with your ears but with your heart. You need patience when you listen, something that a lot of us are lacking as well. In this age of "everything INSTANT," being patient is seemingly a waste of time. We want everything INSTANT. And sadly enough, even in our communication, we want everything INSTANT, therefore, we fail to really LISTEN. We fail to pay attention. We fail to focus. Hence, we fail to truly communicate. Most of the time, we simply pass on a message, nothing more.

My dear brothers and sisters, today and everyday, Jesus is asking us to LISTEN not only to His words in the Bible but also to LISTEN to His words in others. Jesus speaks to us through creation around us - through the trees, the plants, the flowers, the animals, the rivers .... He speaks to us through the natural events that happen around us. Do we listen??? Jesus speaks to us through the needs of our brothers and sisters - the poor, the sick, the dying, the homeless, the destitute, the lonely, the lost. Do we listen??? What hinders us to listen is our inability to STOP for a while ... this world has made us so busy with so many things, unfortunately some are unnecessary, that we forget to STOP momentarily from the mundane so that we can be PRESENT at the moment to LISTEN.

Prayer and Meditation can help us to STOP and LISTEN. In the next Sundays that are coming, we will reflect on Prayers and Meditations that will help us to develop a more listening heart. Today, my dear friends, our prayer is that like the man in the gospel, may Jesus open our ears, our eyes, our hearts.

We have been reflecting on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist for past several Sundays. While we shared about the Eucharist especially that part of the Mass we call Holy Communion where we bless, break and share the Bread - the Body of Christ, we must not forget the equally important first part of the Mass - the Liturgy of the WORD. In the Liturgy of the Word, we are taken back in time when the Word of God is preached to the people. In the history of salvation, God "speaks and creates." For example, the beginning of the book of Genesis says, "Let there be light ... and there was light." God "speaks and creates." And all throughout the Old Testament, the people of Israel have known Yahweh through His powerful words. He is a God who was never seen but heard. And when His spoken words seem insufficient for the people to make covenant with Him, He put a human form in His words - The Word became flesh.

The Word lived among us and He still does - Jesus' Words are alive in the Holy Scriptures (the Bible), the Sacred Traditions of the Church and the Magisterium of the Church (or the teachings of the Church in simple term). Jesus speaks to us whenever we read or hear the Scriptures. Jesus speaks to us when we participate in the living traditions of the Church. Jesus speaks to us through the teaching authorities of the Church - the Pope, the bishops, the priests. And He speaks to us through one another. When we love one another, Jesus speaks. His words become alive in our lives.

Dear friends ... let us not be content of just hearing the Word of God, let us pray to the Holy Spirit so that we can listen with our hearts and act on it, hence become a doer of God's Word. This world has enough hearers and listeners, this world needs DOERS.